Archer&#39;s bow



ARCHER S BOW Filed March 12, 1968 United States Patent Office 3,491,739 Patented Jan. 27, 1970 3,491,739 ARCHERS BOW Delvin A. Scrobell, 3334 S. 63rd St., Milwaukee, Wis. 53220 Filed Mar. 12, 1968, Ser. No. 712,472

Int. Cl. F41b 5/ 00 U.S. Cl. 124-23 11 Claims ABSTRACT 0F THE DISCLOSURE An archers bow having a crescent shaped bearing member slidably mounted on the bow and a handle rotatably mounted on the bearing member whereby the handle and bearing member can pivot around an axis perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the bow and the handle can rotate independently about an axis substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the bow.

This invention relates generally to an archers bow. More specifically, this invention relates to a new handle assembly mounted on the bow in a manner to isolate some movements of the archers hand from the bow.

In the use of a bow, a rather substantial force is exerted in drawing the bow string. Even among experienced archers whose hands and wrists are conditioned for holding the bow, the magnitude of the force applied in drawing the string is such that it is practically impossible to hold the bow perfectly steady and eliminate all tendency towar-d deflection. It is essential especially for archers involved in competition that the bow be held as steady as possible until the arrow has cleared the bow. Any slight movement of the wrist during aiming or upon release of the bow string will greatly magnify the error in the course of the arrows flight since the rear end'of the arrow is guided by the bow string which is a considerable distance to the rear of the bow when drawn.

Furthermore, slight vertical movements of the hand just prior to releasing the arrow are imported to the bow thereby causing au imbalance of forces in the end portions of the bow which results in a stronger pull on theiupper or lower part of the bow. This in turn causes the arrow to deflect from the intended course. This problem is especially acute with archers involved in competitive marksmanship because they tend to take a longer time to aim the arrow before release.

The prior art such as U.S. Patents 2,957,469, Wilkerson and U.S. 2,854,965 recognize these problems and attempt to vsolve them by using a cylindrical member surrounding the bow. The handle assembly of this invention overcomes the problem mentioned by using an unique handle assembly slidably mounted on the bow to isolate slight movements of the archers hand from the bow during aiming and releasing the arrow.

Therefore it is an object of this invention to provide a new and improved archers bow.

Another object of this invention is to provide a new and improved handle for an archers bow that can lpivot relative to the bow about an axis perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the bow.

Another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved handle for an archers bow that can rotate relative to the bow about an axis extending substantially longitudinally of the bow.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent from the following description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. I is a side view of a little more than half of an archers bow incorporating the handle assembly of this invention;

FIG. II is an end view of the archers bow of FIG. I;

FIG. III is an exploded isometric view of the handle assembly of the bow of this invention;

FIG. IV is a bottom view of the handle; and

FIG. V is an enlarged view partially in cross section of the lower portion of the handle assembly.

Referring more particularly to the drawings by the characters of reference, the Abow 10 illustrated is of the composite recurve type and comprises an elongated member having a central section 11 and highly flexible end or limb portions 12 (only one of which is shown) curved forwardly in the usual manner for receiving the string of the bow.

The central section 11 of the bow 10 is substantially wider, thicker and more rigid than the limb portions. The upper portion of one side of the central section 11 is cut away to near the center line of the bow in the usual way to facilitate shooting the arrow. An arrow rest 14 extends outwardly from the central section 11 to provide a guide for the arrows.

An arcuate cutout is removed from the central section 11 of the bow for receiving the handle assembly of this invention. The surface defining the cutout is a smooth continuous arcuate surface to provide a bearing race to co-act with the handle assembly. In the illustrated bow, the cutout is defined by a radially inwardly extending rib-like extension 16 on which the handle assembly 17 is mounted in slidable relation. The rib 16 is shown as being rectangular in cross section but its exact shape is not essential to the invention. The rib 16 has a pair of spaced apart arcuate slots 18, the purpose of which will be explained in detail later.

The handle assembly consists of a bearing member 19 slidably mounted on the central section and carrying a handle. In the illustrated bow, the bearing member 19 is made up generally of a pair of arcuate sections 20 and 21 clamped together around the rib 16 in sliding relation thereto. A suitable handle 22 is attached to one of the sections 20 or 21 for gripping the bow and sliding the bearing member relative to the rib 16. The handle 22 can be fixed relative to the bearing member but preferably it is rotatably mounted relative to this member to allow it to rotate about an axis substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the bow.

The left outer section 20 of the bearing member 19 is arcuate in shape and has a flange 24 formed to fit within the radially inner surface of rib 16 and has an inside shoulder surface 25 to fit adjacent the side surface 26 of the rib. The upper outer surface of section 20 is flattened to avoid interfering with the arrow rest and to allow the arrow to pass close to the center line of the bow during its flight.

Since the handle assembly should slide smoothly relative to the rib and bow, the flange 24 is provided with suitable bearings such as illustrated roller bearings 28 positioned to engage the surface 29 of rib 16 when assembled. It is desirable but not essential to coat all of the mating surfaces of the assembly with a suitable material such as Teflon to enhance the smooth sliding relation between the handle assembly and the bow.

The second or right outside section 21 of the bearing member 19 is crescent shaped to fit in the recess formed by surfaces 31 and 32 of the central section of the bow. Section 21 extends radially inward beyond the rib 16 and has spaced apart holes 33 through which appropriate screws 34 extend and engage threaded holes 35 in the left section 20 to clamp sections 20, 21 together in the assembled position.

A pair of pegs 37 extend through the slots 18 and into the holes 38, 39 in the inner surface of the sections 20, 21 respectively. The pegs 37 preferably fit loosely in the holes 38, 39 so they can roll in the arcuate slots 18 in the rib to reduce the resistance as the handle assembly moves relative to the rib. Since the pegs are positioned in holes in the movable bearing member 19, the slats 18 in the stationary rib define the limits of the pivotal movements of the bearing member relative to the bow, Suitable resilient members such the the illustrated coil springs 41 are positioned in slots 18 between the pegs 37 and the open ends of the rib 16. As the bearing assembly is rotated one of the springs 41 is compressed between the peg and the end of the slot. Hence, when pressure on the handle 22 is released the spring returns the assembly 17 to its central or normal position. Appropriate shock absorbing members 42 may be placed in the slots between the pegs 37 and the other ends of the slot.

The handle 22 is attached to the bearing member 19 in any suitable way to impart rotary motion to the handle assembly 17. lIn the preferred embodiment as illustrated in the handle 22 has a longitudinally extending bore 43 for receiving a pin 44 that is seated at each `end in the appropriately located holes 45, 46 in the section 20 of bearing member 19. The pin extends along a chord of the arc formed by the inner surface of section 20. In this way the handle 22 can pivot around the pin 44 and hence around an axis substantially parallel to the axis of the bow completely independent of the bow itself. However, pivotal movement of the handle around an axis perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the bow is imparted through the pin 44 to the bearing member. If desired the handle 22 shown in the drawing can bereplaced by another handle having a different external configuration to fit the hand of the archer.

As best illustrated in FIGS. IV and V, a small, resilient piece 48 may be placed in a recess 49 in the handle adjacent a pin 50 extending from the bearing member 19. As the handle turns the pin 50 engages the resilient piece 48 and upon release of the force on the handle, the handle is pushed back to its normal position by the resilient piece 48.

When the string of the bow of this invention is drawn taut by an archer his hand gripping the handle 22 may move slightly without transmitting the movement of the bow 10. For example, if the archers hand tends to pivot the handle in either direction around an axis perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the bow, the entire handle assembly will rotate slightly within the central section 11 of the bow without importing any motion to the bow. If the archers hand tends to rotate the handle in either direction, the handle will pivot around the pin 44 mounted in the bearing member. This pin 44 is normally substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the bow but varies from this position slightly as the handle assembly 17 rotates. The motion of the handle is entirely independent of the bow and is not transmitted thereto.

In the preferred embodiment of the bow as illustrated, the rotary motion of the handle around the pin 44 is completely independent of the handle assembly. Hence, either the pivoting motion of the entire assembly 17 or the rotary motion of the handle can be temporarily or permanently eliminated without affecting the action of the other. For example, the motion of the bearing member 19 can be stopped and its position fixed by tightening the set screw 52 extending through section 21 against the rib 16. Likewise the rotational movement of the handle 22 can be stopped and its position relative to the bearing member 19 fixed by tightening the set screw 53 extending through section against the handle. Other means of locking the handle and assembly could also be used. Y

Although but one embodiment of this invention has been illustrated and described it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. An archers bow comprising: an elongated exible member having an enlarged central section; means at each end of said member for receiving a bow string; said central section having a arcuate cutout portion; a handle assembly; means mounting said handle assembly for Slidably pivotal movement about only a single axis substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said bow; a handle; means mounting said handle on said assembly whereby movement of said handle when gripped by an archer will cause said assembly to slidably pivot relativ to said bow. I

2. The archers bow of claim 1 in which said cutout portion is defined by a radially inwardly extending rib and said handle assembly is slidably mounted on said rib.

3. The archers bow of claim 2 in which said handle assembly comprises a pair of arcuate bearing sections positioned on either side of said rib and being connected together and said handle connected to one of said sections.

4. The archers bow of claim 3 in which pegs extend between said arcuate sections and through slots in said rib to limit the pivotal movement of said handle assembly relative to said bow.

5. The archers bow of claim 4 in which resilient means are positioned between said pegs and the one end of each said slot to return said handle assembly to its normal position when no force is being applied to said handle.

6. The archers bow of claim 2 in which bearings are mounted in said handle assembly and positioned to engage said rib to facilitate movement of said assembly relative to said rib.

7. The archers bow of claim 3 in which said handle iS rotatable about a chord extending across the arc formed by the inner surface of one of said bearing sections.

8. The archers bow of claim 7 having means extending through one of said bearing sections to selectively engage said handle and prevent its rotation relative to said bearing member.

9. The archers bow of claim 2 having means to fix the position of said handle assembly in various positions on said rib.

10. The archers bow of claim 9 in which said means for xing the position of said handle assembly comprises a set screw extending through said assembly and engaging said rib.

11. The archers bow of claim 7 in which resilient member is provided in said handle and a projection extending from said bearing assembly is positioned to op eratively engage said resilient member upon rotation of said handle whereby said handle is automatically returned to its normal position after release of pressure there- References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,957,469 10/ 1960 Wilkerson 124-24 GEORGE I. MARLO, Primary Examiner.

WILLIAM R. BROWNE, Assistant Examiner.

U.S. Cl. X.R. 124-30 

